Square Enix is keeping up its media push for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates with yet another video, adding onto its bombardment of scans and screenshots to draw in anyone who hasn't already decided to pick up the game's special-edition DS Lite bundle.
This week's clip features Alhanarlem, one of the main characters from the ARPG's spellcasting tribe of Yukes, leaping from platform to platform in what looks like a competitive minigame in which players race through a stage to find a hidden blue switch. Power-ups are scattered around the field, but their effects aren't revealed until they're grabbed. Vault past the post break for the embedded movie.
Posts with tag minigame
New Ring of Fates video: Jumpin' Yuke Flash
Continue reading New Ring of Fates video: Jumpin' Yuke Flash
Make pudding with the Sugarbunnies
Move over Mama, there's a new set of cooks in town. Make that a nest ... of bunnies. Sanrio's Sugarbunnies, to be exact, and they are ready to bring you on board for a delicious candy-making revolution. Bunny twins Shirousa and Kurousa have been charged with making candy for everyone, and as far as we can tell, they have to select the right recipes and ingredients to satisfy a variety of sugary cravings through Cooking Mama-style minigames. But the Sugarbunnies go beyond the limits of Cooking Mama, it seems, as they need to harvest the proper ingredients for the recipes. Sounds a little like Animal Crossing on the farm and in the kitchen to us, and that's really all we need to know to be interested.The Sugarbunnies will be bounding onto the DS in Japan this fall.
Kabu Trader Shun's minigame and big trailer
Half adventure game, half stock trading battles, Kabu Trader Shun hits Japanese stores later this week. Looking to promote its release, Capcom posted a Flash minigame complementing the Phoenix-Wright-styled title. Players can live out the after-hours-lounge experience of a stock trader, text messaging a needy girlfriend while trying to keep the boss' drink filled at the same time. It's a simple, fast-clicking diversion, but seeing the creative steps companies are taking to advertise their games is always interesting.We happened to also spot a lengthy trailer during our stay at Kabu Trader Shun's official site, though we can't guarantee its freshness. Clocking in at just over two-and-a-half minutes, the video introduces the game's characters, trade battles, and adventuring sequences. Head past the post break for the movie.
Continue reading Kabu Trader Shun's minigame and big trailer
In DS-land, playground comes to you
EA likes to swim against the tide. In the era of exer-gaming, they're making a game that's all about sitting on your ass while pretending you're at the playground for a fun-time experience. Obviously, it will sell ten million copies -- after all, it's on the DS, and we all know what that means: profit.Admittedly, EA Playground is a My Street-Wii Sports mashup, and since it's aimed at younger gamers, it's an easy target. The bold, bright visuals and odd character models don't do much for us, but maybe that's okay -- it's not for us. But a mini-game collection with a casual stab at story-telling doesn't sound nearly as engaging as most DS fare, and we can blow into the microphone in a million different ways if we are so inclined. We'll keep an eye on this one, but at first glance, we're not terribly impressed, and we like games largely aimed at younger players.
[Via Joystiq]
Pogo Island's redeemable qualities
Pogo Island isn't a particularly terrible game; there just hasn't been much we've heard about it worth discussing. Electronic Arts developed the puzzle collection as a handheld supplement to its popular casual gaming site, Pogo. Marked at full price though, it's hard to justify buying a title that's essentially a round up of the five most popular games EA already offers for free online.Even with that in mind, Pogo Island isn't completely without merit. As GameSetWatch pointed out to us, playing the game earns you tokens which can later be uploaded to your Pogo account online. Trading in any tokens you acquire from either Pogo.com or Pogo Island buys you a ticket for the site's daily prize drawings (Up to $1000!).
Why don't more DS titles have connectivity like this? Wouldn't it be great if you could exchange all those Star coins you collected in New Super Mario Bros. for a free copy of the Super Mario Bros. 3 DVD? Or if discounts were offered at an online pet shop when Nintendogs notices that you've been taking good care of your puppy? Features like this won't automatically turn a mediocre game into a great one, but it's an easy way to add to its worth.
Majesco turns Mawasunda!! around toward the US
Majesco announced yesterday that they're localizing Taito's Mawasunda!! as Turn it Around. The game collects 24 minigames that all make use of a turntable on the touch screen. Many of the games are based on classic Taito games like Bubble Bobble and Cameltry.
Yeah, we know, it's more minigames. But most minigames aren't derived from Arkanoid or Elevator Action. The Taito pedigree makes this game worth a spin for us. Plus the spinning mechanic recalls Wario Ware: Twisted, which is a generally good sign.
Continue reading Majesco turns Mawasunda!! around toward the US
DS Fanboy Review: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales is a lot like most modern cartoons that seem to be aimed at the younger set -- you know, Disney and Pixar and Cartoon Network in the after-school hours. Like these cartoons, Chocobo Tales is colorful and simple, with a solid storyline that isn't really anything special. It's fun, but not deep. But also like those cartoons, Chocobo Tales is peppered with hilarious one-liners and jokes that do show off some depth and appeal for an older set of fans. It's definitely cliché to talk about something that appeals to gamers of all ages, but that may well be the best possible description for the latest Final Fantasy spinoff.Also, it's just about the cutest thing ever.
Continue reading DS Fanboy Review: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales
Powerpuff Girls adapted to anime, anime adapted to minigames
This news manages to be both supremely weird and completely banal at the same time. It's interesting conceptually, but mechanically, it's another licensed minigame set. Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z is the made-for-Japan adaptation of the Cartoon Network show, which was itself inspired by anime.And just like you would expect for any anime, or, for that matter, anything popular in Japan (see also: food and walking) Powerpuff Girls Z is getting its own DS game. This has to be the most derivative game ever in terms of source material-- just surpassing the game adaptation of Street Fighter: The Movie.
Continue reading Powerpuff Girls adapted to anime, anime adapted to minigames
Crave opening big box of virtual Crayolas
The washable-crayon-stylus hybrid thing seen here may still be a dream in our somewhat odd fanboy minds, but it is true that Crayola is bringing its unique brand of waxy, brittle pigment to the DS in electronic form. The company has made an agreement with publisher Crave to release a Crayola-themed DS game.Apparently, the game will be a minigame collection, with all of the minigames involving drawing and coloring with a wide selection of Crayola crayons. We're excited about this if only for the possibility that we may get to color a dinosaur. And because this way we won't lose 33 of our 64 colors within a week.
More Chocobo Tales videos than you can shake a gysahl green at
By the time Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales hits shelves next month, we'll hardly even need to play it! We've already seen several of the minigames in action, and GameVideos has added even more to the collection.And we know, we're not fooling anyone. We're going to play this one until our fingers cramp. That little chocobo is just too cute to resist, and we're helpless when it comes to Final Fantasy.
Continue reading More Chocobo Tales videos than you can shake a gysahl green at
Housewife Superstar: home-ec minigames
This looks totally strange, and totally endearing. Insert Credit's Brandon Sheffield found this poster at GDC, for a DS game called Housewife Superstar, developed by Studio Nocturne. It looks like a minigame collection, but based on the idea of becoming the perfect (stereotypical) housewife. There are games about things like embroidery, flower arranging, knitting, and dressing up.
The non-serious tone keeps this from being completely insulting, and the art style, which is kind of a stylized 1960s anime (a little like Mr. Driller color-wise, but not as severe), looks really nice. We have no idea when or where Studio Nocturne plans to release this, but we hope it is somewhere close and sometime soon.
Kweh! Or, fresh new Chocobo screens
Oh, that little scamp of a Chocobo -- what will he get into next? If these screens are any indication, it looks like he's getting into a giant beanstalk. Considering the upcoming Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales is peppered with references from children's stories, that's probably exactly what it is ... but really, how many times do we need to see the beanstalk here? It's all over this latest batch of screens!Check after the jump for selected screens -- only one beanstalk included.
Lovely puppies are no Nintendogs
It looks like Nintendogs is about to see some competition in the cutesy puppy gaming market this fall. However, the new title, A Lovely Puppy, seems more mini-game heavy, unlike the gotta-play approach that Nintendogs takes. All the same elements are there -- feeding, training, playing -- but these puppies want to make sure you can solve puzzles, too. Also, instead of photorealism, the Lovely Puppy game utilizes a soft, pastel 2D style reminiscent of another upcoming game, Love Love Hamster. A Lovely Puppy features 18 dog types out of the box, and you can even choose the type of coat.It's nice to see a different approach rather than a direct clone. Though we have very few details right now, we think this is one title that will eventually see a worldwide release. No one can resist the power of the puppy.
Check out some other screens after the jump.
Information on Brain Age
DS-X2 has some additional information on the forthcoming Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day. The upcoming title aims to energize your mind through various minigames and improving your overall "brain age."
"When users start a new game, they will take a series of tests and get a score that shows how old their brains are. This number is called the "Brain Age." As they use the software over a series weeks and months, their mental acuity will improve and the Brain Age will drop, indicating a younger, healthier brain. Progress is charted in graph form."
Also included is a list of some of the minigames included in Brain Age. Such tasks charged to the player are memorizing words, quickly counting people in a crowd, and reading classical literature aloud as fast as possible.
